Stoker



Nov. 6, 1928.

A. M. HUNT INVENTOR BY SAMS A oRNgY' Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW M. HUN T, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 STANDARD STOKERCOMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STOKER.

Application led January This invention relates to mechanical stokers andparticularly to such as embody means for raising coal to a point in thefire box above the fire through a suitable conduit and then distributingthe same by means of jets of steam or other fluid over the iire. Instokers of this character, it is often desirable to have the jetstructure extend into or encroach upon the delivery mouth of theconduit. The -jet structure which obstructs the mouth of the conduit,necessiy tates a lateral movement of the coal to get by the jetstructure, and if this conduit is of approximately uniform sectionthroughout its length, the coal as it is moved laterally by the reactionfrom the jet structure wlll be crowded or packed against the walls ofthe conduit. This requires the application of excessive power to forcethe coal out and the crowding may become so serious as to prevent themovement of the coal entirely.

One object of the present invention is to provide a conduit whoseunobstructed area at the mouth is at least equal to its area at thatpoint beneath the mouth where the lateral reaction of the jet .structurebegins to befelt. In the form of invention herein illustrated, Iaccomplish this by .gradually enlarging the total cross-section area ofthe conduit at its upper end so thatthe increase of area at the top endof the conduit is not less than the area masked in a horizontal plane bythe jet structure. In this manner, the packing of the coal iseliminated. In

' order to provide an easy passage of the coal aroundthe jet structure,I form this'structure with a downwardly vtapered bottom so as to guidethe coal laterally in its upward movement.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is aside view of a locomotive stoker, partly in section, showing oneembodiment of my invention.

' Fig. '2 isa plan View of a portion of the structure shown -in -F ig.1.

gFig. 3 is .a detailed plan view of the rising conduit and the jetdistributor head.

Fig. 4is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 10 indi- Y Cates the rear water leg ofa conventional 27, 1925. Serial No. 5,026.

opening 11 which is located above the cab deck 12.

Coal is fed to the lire box through a conveyor tube 14 in which islocated the conveyor screw 15. The tube 14 terminates in an upwardlycurving elbow 16 which merges into the rising conduit 17. In theconstruction shown, the conveyor screw 15 does not extend beyond theelbow 16. The upwardly extending conduit 17 terminates in a mouth 19above the level of the fire in the lire box. Surrounding the upperportion of thel conduit 17 is a protecting grate 18 which serves tomaintain the lire away from the conduit 17. Secured at the upper end ofthe conduit 17 and extending within the mouth 19 is a distributor head20 which is provided with` jet forming openings 21 adapted to directjets ofsteam over the mouth 19 of the conduit 17 which blow the coal asit rises through the conduit over the protecting grate 18 and distributethe same on the fire.

Steam to supply the jets is supplied through the piping 22, which in theconstruction illustrated, extends downwardly between the conduit 17 andthe water `leg 10, thence under the mud ring 23 of the locomotive boilerand upwardly to the valves 24, of which one only is shown, and manifold25.

In operation of the structure thus far described, the coal which isadvanced `from the locomotive tender by the screw 15, upon leaving theend'of the screw, becomes consolidated into a symmetrical stream or corein the elbow 16 and advances around the easy upward curve thereof andthrough the unobstructed conduit 17 to the mouth 19 where it comes intothe path of the steam jets which issue from the openings 21 in thedistributor head 20. These jets serve to carry and distribute the coalover the fire.

It will be seen that the distributor head 20 occupies a portion of themouth 19 and so would normally tend to interfere with the free movementof the coal out of the conduit 17. In order to prevent this, the conduit17 is gradually enlarged at its upper end from ing an oiset section thebottom of the head with a downward wedge as shown in dotted lines at 26in F ig. 4.

I claim:

1. The combination of a fire box, a stoker, comprising an upwardlycurved conduit terminating in a delivery opening in the ire box, meansfor supplying coal to said conduit, and a distributor head having adownwardly tapered bottom, positioned at the top of said conduit andhaving jet forming means in line with the delivery opening of saidconduit to distribute the coal therefrom, said `conduit havingthroughout its length an expanding unobstructed crosssectional area sothat it flares toward its outlet.

2. rI`he combination of a tire box, a Stoker comprising an upwardlycurved conduit ter.

minating in a substantially vertically directed delivery opening in the'fire box above the level of the fire, means for supplying coal to saidconduit and a separate distributor head positioned at the top and 'atthe rear wall of said conduit and having jet forming means in line withthe delivery opening of said conduit to distribute coal therefrom, saidconduit having throughout its length an expanding unobstructed crosssectional area so that it ilares'toward its outlet, and also havinv atits delivery openftor attaching said distributor head to'said conduit.

3. The combination of a fire box, a stoker comprising an upwardly curvedconduit terminating in a substantially vertically directed deliveryopening in the lire box above the level of the fire, means for supplyingcoal to said conduit and a separate distrib- `utor head attached to therear wall of said conduit`having jet forming means at the rear of saidconduit, the jets therefrom being adapted to sweep across the entiredelivery opening of said conduit to distribute the coal, saiddistributor head extending into said delivery opening andv formed with adownwardly tapered bottom to prevent clogging of the coal at thedistributor head, said conduit having throughout its length an expandingunobstructed cross sectional .area so that it flares toward the deliveryopening.

4. In a locomotive stoker the combination of a lire box, an upwardlyextending curved conduit vterminating in a substantially verticallydirected delivery opening in the fire boxv above the-'level of the fire,means for supplyingcoal to said conduit, a detachable distributor headpositioned at the top of said conduit and having jet forming means inline with the delivery opening of said conduit to distribute the coaltherefrom, said conduit being of substantially circular cross sectionthroughout its lower portion and being expanded to form substantiallysquare corners adjacent the distributor head and an arcuate formationdiametrically opposite said square corners whereby the unobstructedcross sectional area of the conduit throughout is slightly expanding inthe longitudinalAv direction of the fire box so that the conduit arestoward its delivery opening, said conduit having its rear wall offsetfor attaching said distributor head thereto.

ANDREW M. HUNT.

